It is the height of 15 double decker buses stacked on top of each other and would tower 40ft over Nelson's Column.

This colossal tree - believed to be between 100 to 150 years old - was yesterday named the tallest in Britain.

The Stronardron Douglas Fir already measures 209ft but experts believe there is plenty of growth left in her yet.

High and mighty: The Stronardron Douglas fir stands high above its neighbours' heads, with one of the measuring team visible clinging to its trunk

Locals in Perthshire, Scotland, had long believed that an enormous grand fir in the grounds of Blair Castle had the edge on all other rivals, but newly completed research revealed they were barking up the wrong tree.

The matter was settled when a team of tree experts measured all the main contenders. They used ropes to climb up the trees as high as they could without damaging branches, then they measured the distance to its highest point with a pole.

The tallest, by a clear three feet, was the gigantic specimen near Dunans Castle in Argyll. It was closely followed by the Diana's Grove Grand Fir at Blair Castle which was measured at 206ft.